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May 23, 1999 Editorial
Where are the 3 wells?
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Published in the Asbury Park Press
Tests of three private wells in Dover Township found traces of dye products like those once produced at the former Ciba-Geigy plant there. That much the state Department of Health and Senior Services, which tested 54 private wells in 1997, has revealed. What it hasn't revealed is the location of the three wells.
To the Dover families whose children have cancer, where those wells are is as important as what was found in the water. So far, the state has rejected attempts by lawyers for the families to get the information.
The results have been given to the homeowners whose wells were tested. Obviously, everyone in the Toms River area has an interest in knowing where the wells are. The state attorney general's office, a spokesman says, is trying to determine whether the locations have to be made public.
If crucial information the government has gathered about a potential health hazard is not public, then the public's right to know isn't worth much.
The families in the group Toxic Environment Affects Children's Health have a right to be extremely concerned about chemicals that have made their way into the area's wells. They are trying to find out why so many Toms River children have cancer.
This is not a privacy issue. It is not the fault of the owners of the wells that man-made substances have infiltrated their water. Nor is a well test something that should be kept from a potential purchaser if any of the homes were to be sold. That would be fraudulent. The tests were performed with tax dollars. That entitles the tax-paying public to know the results.
Secrecy in any aspect of the investigation into childhood cancer cases in the Toms River area simply leads to more rumors and speculation. That does nobody any good. The location of the tested wells should be made available without further delay.
Source: Asbury Park Press
Published: May 23, 1999
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